Well Folks, I Believe It’s That Time Again…

Time to start bringing your patio plants inside! The first frost is just around the corner in my neck of the woods, and some of you may have already been hit. If you have a porch or patio full of plants that have been outside since the Spring, there are a few things you need to do to re-acclimate them to your house.

Time to bring these guys in for the cold months ahead.

Before you start: Make a list of all the plants you are bringing in, and go find spots for them around your house. Keep in mind that through the cold months, they will need all the sunlight they can get. Also, remember that drafts come off of even the most well-insulated windows. Don’t put sensitive plants up against a cold window in the Winter time.

As you collect them from outside: Put them all in a central location and check them very carefully for hitch hikers! This is a perfect opportunity for pests to make their way in to your home, and there’s a chance they could bother your other plants. If your pots have drip trays, remember to check under and around the trays. Look at the tops and bottoms of leaves for any bugs, or mold.

Plants in my home are one of the few things that really liven up the house through out the cold months when we are stuck inside for many hours of the day.

If you are still growing veggies outside you can get a few more weeks of growth out of them if you cover them with a tarp at night. This will create a mini-greenhouse effect that will trap heat from the ground as it rises. This will buy you enough time to let the fruits that are already on the vine ripen enough for one last harvest. Once the ground freezes solid, there’s not a whole lot you can do.

Good luck!

-Ivy

Just as soon as it arrived, Summer is escaping. Kind of like a good friend whose visits never seem to be long enough. I think we have a wonderful Indian Summer coming, and some warm days ahead. That said, Fall is creeping up on to the back porch like a stray cat. There’s no denying it’s been coming around lately.

This years growing season had a strange start. We had about two months of rain with no respite, which pushed back my planting time. I still got a great and dependable harvest though.

This was what my garden made available to me every week, sometimes a lot more

I still have tomatoes that are green and growing, so those will have to be covered by a tarp to prevent frost damage.

One thing I escaped from scott-free this year was pest damage. The bugs were mostly kept at bay by all the natural predators that thrived in my garden. In fact, my biggest insect concern this year was the mosquito hoard that followed me everywhere when I was trying to get work done. Ugh, I HATE mosquitoes! THEY are part of the reason I love bats and spiders!

I was even saved from the wrath of the neighborhood groundhog.

Look at those beady little eyes. Hide your veggies!

By this:

Anti-Groundhog missile device.

I’ve never had a single problem with deer, squirrels, rabbits, or any other furry critter. Every gardener should have a dog

-Ivy

Edit: That photo of the groundhog was taken from a vantage point looking into my neighbor’s yard as he ate their flowers. That fat furry critter has never stepped a paw in my yard. My dog would not allow that.

This Summer, I ventured into flower gardening, which I had not really done before. I started my green gardening journey with house plants. Once I felt comfortable with those, I started noticing all the green space outside where I could expand. I forayed into vegetable gardening, then started a shade garden full of hostas. (Those were quickly moved out to the front yard, after my dog earned her nickname: The Hosta Accosta.) This year, I found lots of seeds for different flowers, and tried my hand at them. I’m so happy with the results!

READY...

SET...

BLOOM!

These are my Cosmos! They are so beautiful! They are tall, colorful plants with blooms that scent my yard with a sweet, subtle perfume. I’m planning on planting them every year from now on!

I planted several different spots in my yard with seeds, and some did noticeably better than others. These plants love full, bright sun. I believe this is the C. Bipinnatus varietal, which doesn’t tolerate shady environments. I have some against a wooden privacy fence, which blocks the sun for half the day, and those ones haven’t bloomed, though the plants are very tall. Seeing as how there will be frost soon around my area, I don’t think they will be showing me any flowers this year…

I also have a few planted in a container near my house. These ones got full sun, but the eave of my roof blocked a lot of rain, and it seems to me they could’ve used it. Gardening is a lot of trial and error, folks. If you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you will see better results, and you will learn what to do and what NOT to do next time around.

The pictures of the orange flower above are from a group of plants along an outer fence that got full sun, and all the rain they could catch. They are about chest-high, with leafy green plants. These pictures are from a few weeks ago, and the plants are even taller right now, with about 5x as many flowers!

Since I love to use found objects, and recycle old things in my garden, I was really excited to find some old cinder blocks in the back of my garage. I turned them up on their side and filled them with soil and planted the seeds. This was a great way to use old objects, as well as put plants outside my fence, where there is otherwise no planting space.

Next year, I’m going to experiment with a container garden made entirely from found objects.

-Ivy

I was lucky enough to be visited by my favorite exo-skeletal, ectotherm a few days ago! I found him sitting in my sweet potato plants in my back yard garden (Or, as I like to call it, my Yarden…)

Well, hello there!

A praying mantis!

These are probably my favorite bugs of all time. So cool looking, so helpful in the garden, so elegant. I used to catch them when I was little, and keep them in empty fish tanks for a few days before putting them back where I found them. I was keeping a close eye on my back yard wildlife, even as a little pint-size “yardener”.

Safe to handle, please don't squash!

There are two types of mantises that are usually found in the US. There’s the Carolina mantis, which is small, usually about an inch or two long. Then there are Asian mantises, which are big. These guys can get up to 6 inches long. Asian mantises were introduced to the US as a form of pest control and have since established themselves here. I haven’t substantiated these size claims with any research, I’m just sitting here at my keyboard, recalling the mantises I’ve caught in my life, and holding my hands out in front of me. I believe this little guy is an Asian mantis, probably not yet fully mature. He was a glowing bright chartreuse color, which made it hard to get a good picture, but boy, was he easy to spot in my dark, reddish-green sweet potato leaves.

I see you!

These bugs are great garden helpers, and important to our ecosystem. If you find one, you should consider yourself lucky! If you can, move them out of harm’s way, and maybe they’ll hang around for a while, and keep an eye out for your garden and patio plants.

^The End^

Get it?

-Ivy

It may be the hurricanes on the East coast of the US, or Fall may be just around the corner. Or maybe it’s a little of both… It feels like I just got the garden off and running, and the first frost could very well be just around the corner. I’ve been eating well from the back yard this Summer. Check out my peppers!

An urban farmer with her harvest!

A plethora of peppers

I would recommend hot peppers to anyone as an easy crop to grow, harvest and store. They are naturally pest resistant, with their spicy taste, and they don’t take up a whole lot of room. They would make an excellent addition to a container garden, including a patio, or window box. Once you bring them inside, use a needle and strong thread to hang them up. They should dry nicely, and you can keep them as a colorful accent in your kitchen.

This year, I grew habaneros, cayennes, and fresnos. All produced well, and are still producing fruit as we speak. There are many types of sweet and hot peppers that can be grown with little effort. I highly recommend it!

-Ivy

Dear Ivy,

Are these black and yellow spiders you’re always writing about biters?

-Worried in Wisconsin

Argiope Aurantia

Dear Worried,

I would like to put your mind at ease. These garden partners are shy and would sooner skitter away under a bush than stand and fight, so to speak. I often get questions about the aggression levels of this spider, and the toxicity of its venom. These are reasonable questions, given that most people would sooner walk across hot coals than tango with any arachnid.

Have you ever heard the old adage “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them”? Well, sayings like that stick around because they are true. These tiny animals have many predators in the wild such as other spiders, frogs, birds, you name it. So they have to constantly be on guard. They usually run away if threatened. They have an interesting behavior pattern where they will sit in their web, and if they see a predator, they will shake the web violently, kind of like jumping on a trampoline. This could be to make themselves more visible to wayward animals who might stumble into their web.

As to whether they are “biters” or not, that’s a question of animal behavior. If any spider is handled roughly, it will bite in defense. But most spiders instinctively don’t want to waste any venom, and would rather run away than bite.

The truth is, these little guys are basically harmless. Worst case scenario, if one were to bite you, it wouldn’t hurt that bad. The venom they carry won’t make you sick or anything. It’s mostly psychological. I say this as someone who has been bitten by snakes, spiders, and many other kinds of critters. It seems like it would be a lot worse than it actually is.

The best answer would be to be respectful of them, and watch where your hands go in the garden. That way you won’t risk an unwanted run-in.

-Ivy

Dear Ivy,

I had 2 very healthy ZZ plants (several branches over 2 feet long), that I left outside for a few weeks in the Sydney winter. They were in a dry spot but when I brought them in side, most branches died off, lost their leaves and even fell off the plant; one has no branches now and the other has just one. Can I save them?

-Sad in Sydney

Dear Sad,

First I will say I had to do a lot of research to answer this question. I’ve never been to the southern hemisphere, so I had to find out what the Winter is like down there. For those of you that need a little refresher course in climatology, the seasons on earth are divided by hemisphere. When it is Summer in the Northern hemisphere, it is Winter in the Southern hemisphere. Thus, Australia has a warm, pleasant Christmas, and ski season peaks in July. Of course, the temperatures are a bit different than here in the states. From what I’ve gathered, in Sydney, in the Winter, the average temperatures go from 45 to 60 degrees F. I think your plants got cold feet.

ZZ plants need certain things to thrive:

Water: Contrary to popular belief, ZZ plants need water, and will thrive when watered regularly. Do not let them sit in water, though. They need light, well drained soil (sand and perlite mixed with soil can help your plant breathe easy).

Light: They need filtered light. Bright, direct light will cause them to burn.

Time: ZZ has a slow growth rate, even when watered and given good light. My plant has both of those things going for it, and it just sends up a few new shoots a year. I have had mine since 2008.

So, Sad in Sydney, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is: I think that plant with no branches at all is done for. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news It is possible that it could come back and send up new shoots, but the plant’s metabolism is greatly weakened because it has no food factories! The leaves produce food for the plant when they perform photosynthesis, and your plant (if it is still alive) is relying only on its root system for energy and support. I would say cut away the dead stems. Make sure it has some water, but isn’t soggy. Give it plenty of time, and if it continues rotting, it’s a goner. If it firms up, and you see new growth, it may have a chance.

Above is a picture of my ZZ plant sending out new shoots. In the upper left corner, you can see the light green stalk unfurling.

Here is a close up of the new growth. If you see this, your plant is home free!

Let’s focus on the other plant. The one you have that still has leaves and stems. Let’s look at how we can give it a fighting chance.

First off, DO NOT RE-POT. This will stress out the plant even further. ZZs like to be root bound, so just leave it in the pot it’s in. Bring it inside to a warm place (not TOO warm, average household temperatures are fine), where it gets sunlight (but where it won’t be burned). Get rid of any dead or rotting matter. You don’t want old dead stems hanging off the plant. Cut all the dead stems back to the ground. Then, give it plenty of time.

Bring it inside. Trim it. Water it. Put it near a window. And wait.

-Ivy

P.S.-

Don’t try to do too much. Just give it time, and space. I’m guilty of killing plants with my good intentions. I get worried about a plant, so I’m right next to it every day, staring at it, wondering why it hasn’t grown, and will it live? And maybe it needs more water.. I’ll put some more dirt on it, ooh, it looks dry, it needs MORE water….

Dear Ivy,

I was given a Gardenia Bonsai as a gift. How do I care for it?

Dear Reader,

Excellent question! I had to figure this out for myself earlier this year! I was given one as a gift as well. It arrived in a box full of styrofoam packing peanuts. So far, it’s done pretty well. I would have to say the one thing I’ve learned from my experience with this plant is to water it almost every single day. This is for a couple reasons. The Gardenia likes to have an abundant water supply. Be careful, though, because it is susceptible to mold and mildew. The fact that it has been turned into a bonsai means it needs even more water. To keep something in the bonsai style means that the roots of the plant have been stunted, and thus are less able to absorb sufficient water for the plant to survive. To remedy this, up the frequency of your watering, not necessarily the actual amount of water. Put the plant in a place where you will pass by it every day, even multiple times a day. This will make it easier to give it extra drinks of water as you pass by.

I almost lost mine because I had it high up on a shelf, where I would forget about it for days at a time, only to soak it with water when I realized that the leaves were turning brown. These plants can live for a long time, so if you keep it happy, it will reward you with beautiful blooms periodically.

-Ivy

Dear Ivy,

I have two ivy plants from a family member’s funeral. They are turning brown and dying. What do I do? Please help!

Thank You

Dear Reader,

Let me start off by saying I am so very sorry for your loss. I know many people that have “funeral plants”. I personally have one. These are living plants used to decorate the place where a memorial service or funeral is held. They are then taken home by friends or family of the deceased. These plants are often looked at as a way to remember the person who was lost, and I have seen many people become very upset when these plants start to show signs of distress or ill health.

It is hard for me to answer this question specifically, since there are many different types of ivy. The picture above is one of a grape ivy plant that I’ve had for about four years. It is slowly taking over the corner of my living room. The term “Ivy” is even used to refer to plants that aren’t ivy at all, like “Devil’s Ivy” often refers to pothos. If you can write back and tell me what kind of ivy it is, I can tell you exactly what to do. For now, I can generalize…

The most likely culprit for the browning of a plant is lack of water. Try giving it more water. If you are watering it frequently, then see if the soil is doing well retaining the water you are pouring in to the pot. If most of it is running off, try putting the plant in a larger pot with fresh soil. You don’t need to disturb the roots of the plant, just find a bigger pot, and top it off with fresh dirt. If the plant is very frail, re-potting it is not an option. Try taking a cutting of the plant and rooting that in a glass of water. You could also try “Pinning”. This is a method where you prepare a pot for a baby plant, then drape a vine from the parent plant across the new pot. Use a garden staple to secure it LIGHTLY AND GENTLY to the soil. (If you push it down too hard and cut off the circulation, the vine will die.) Water it regularly and it should develop roots pretty quickly. Then, you just cut it away from the parent plant. If you can make several clones out of the plant, and clone those baby plants sometime in the future, you can keep it alive forever, theoretically. This will also be a kind of insurance policy. If you lose the large original plant, you will have bits of it still growing. Plus, if you want, you could give little clones of your plants to other family members who might like to care for a little piece of the plant. I have a friend who cultivates christmas cacti. All of the plants that he, his sister and cousins have all came from one plant their grandmother used to keep.

You can also try to move it to a different part of your house. It could be scorched because of the sun, or it could be dying from the lack of sun. Or maybe it is sitting too closely to an air conditioning vent and doesn’t like the draft. It’s hard to be specific. Turning brown just means that the cells of the plant are dying for some reason. To see what the cause of the stress is, you need to put yourself in its shoes, so to speak.

Good luck!

-Ivy

I know, I know, it’s not really endless… But I could live this way forever

I was out in my back yard the other day, lounging in a blue baby pool (don’t judge me) to cool off. My house was built in the 20’s and hasn’t had many updates since. The lack of air conditioning often drives me outside to seek a breeze. I was sitting next to my tomato plants, admiring the first tomatoes that are appearing, when a little friend decided to join me.

He/she set up shop on the wall of the baby pool and sat there for the duration of my pool time. It even let me snap a bazillion pictures of it. I’ve been doing research, and as close as I can tell, this is a Blue Tailed Damselfly. It’s Latin name is Ischnura elegans. From what I’ve read, it can be difficult to tell blue damselflies apart, because they are pretty similar. I could be wrong, I’m certainly no professional entomologist. Just an amateur at best

So photogenic!

There are a few basic differences between dragonflies and damselflies. Dragons are usually bigger, and their eyes are positioned differently on their heads. I’m glad to have either one in my garden. The mosquitos are really bad this year, and these predators help keep them under control.

I heard recently that tomato plants are supposed to repel mosquitos. I don’t see how this can be possible. I have two DOZEN tomato plants in my yard, and every night I’m being EATEN ALIVE AAARGH!!